Press Releases
12/26/2018
Gov. Malloy: DMV’s New Telephone Center Technology Has Saved Customers an Estimated 10 Million Minutes of Wait Time
Launched in Spring 2018, DMV’s Call-Back Feature Keeps Customers from Waiting on Hold
(HARTFORD, CT) – Governor Dannel P. Malloy and Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) Commissioner Michael Bzdyra today announced that customers who call the DMV have saved an estimated 10 million minutes of time waiting on the phone ever since the agency launched new technology in the spring giving customers the option to be called back at a scheduled time of their selection.
Prior to the upgrade, the technology used at the DMV Telephone Center had last been updated in 1993 and regularly left callers stranded and unable to get through to an operator due to the system’s limited capacity. Governor Malloy and the State Bond Commission approved funding in 2016 for an upgrade of the system, and it was implemented in May.
Since that time, approximately 71 percent of callers have opted to use the new call-back feature. The agency receives about 2,700 calls per day.
“We have been making widespread changes at the DMV to give the residents of our state more convenience when conducting business with the agency, and what we are seeing is showing positive results,” Governor Malloy said. “For the last three or four decades, people talked about making modernization upgrades to Connecticut’s DMV only to put it off until later. Now we’re actually doing it. The DMV needs to be more customer-focused to deliver the services that our citizens need.”
“Time and again customers report having a vastly improved experience with the new call-back feature and other call center enhancements,” Commissioner Bzdyra said. “Customers are no longer hanging on hold as they once were. This new technology coupled with a great call center staff, reduces on hold call volume and wait times from what was 15 minutes to now scheduling a call-back time of the customer’s choosing.”
In addition to the call-back capability, the DMV also recently implemented a feature enabling customers to use voice-activated technology known as Interactive Voice Response. This system allows callers to utilize several options without having to wait on hold or speak directly with an operator, including paying over the phone for vehicle registration renewals, license restoration fees, and insurance lapse payments; checking the status of a driver’s license; and checking for the delivery date of a driver’s license and vehicle registration.
The DMV’s Telephone Center can be reached toll-free by calling 860-263-5700 from within the Hartford area, or 1-800-842-8222 elsewhere in Connecticut. It is open Mondays through Fridays from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
Customers are also reminded that many DMV functions can be performed online by visiting the agency’s website at www.ct.gov/dmv.
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